


Sequel to Real Time

by colinbakerstreet



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Conversion-Typical Body Horror, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 20:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8070964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colinbakerstreet/pseuds/colinbakerstreet
Summary: Real Time is a six-part story featuring the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn. The story unfolds in real time, with each part running for about fifteen minutes. Part 6 ends with a cliffhanger, which I spoil immediately here. This sequel has six chapters (corresponding to parts 7 to 12) and is written in dialogue format. Each chapter would take about ten minutes to read.





	1. Part 7

_Previously on Real Time_

 

DOCTOR: So you’re from the future?

GODDARD: Exactly the opposite.

DOCTOR: How much of you is still flesh and blood?

GODDARD: The exterior. Inside, I’m pure Cyberman. But with a brain, not a computer. In 1927, four days after I was born, the Cybermen brought a virus to Earth. It attacked the nervous system of all living things, transforming them into a techno-organic hybrid. The animals died quickly, as did millions of humans. Whole continents died in days. The survivors were either converted or fought back and were eradicated. I and a limited number of… you’d call us rebels, I guess… traced a nexus point to 3286, here, this planet where the Cyber race discovered the ability to manipulate time.

DOCTOR: How did you get here?

GODDARD: I left planet Earth in 1951 in a stolen Cyberman chronosphere.

 

GODDARD: Doctor, wait! The Controller infected Evelyn! She’s carrying the virus that made me!

[Goddard beats the Cyber Controller almost to death, then he removes its face plate. The Cyber Controller is Evelyn.]

 

DOCTOR: Goddard was yelling something as I dragged you through the portal. I couldn’t hear him. Then the temporal wave hit them.

EVELYN: They were all destroyed, then?

DOCTOR: Yes, I’m afraid so. But Goddard succeeded, it seems. The Controller never got the chance to use the virus.

EVELYN: In honour of Dr. Goddard, I’d like to go and see Charles Lindbergh make his historic flight.

 

_Part 7_

EVELYN: Oh, it’s all right, Doctor.

DOCTOR: But I wanted to watch it, too, Evelyn. It’s on my list, you see -- either the departure from New York or the arrival in Paris of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis. The first solo non-stop transatlantic flight.

EVELYN: So you haven’t seen it yet? I must say I’m surprised. I thought you’ve already been to every pivotal event in Earth’s history.

DOCTOR: Oh, no, there are simply too many key moments in the history of Earth, let alone the universe, and I have not had the chance to visit them all… yet. However, I was there when John Alcock and Arthur Brown landed in an Irish bog in 1919, culminating the first non-stop transatlantic flight. Not solo, but they did it before Lindbergh.

EVELYN: Well, we can just try again, can’t we? All we need to do is go forward two months. You got the location right; we landed at Roosevelt Airfield, where Lindbergh took off… or will take off.

DOCTOR: But short hops are tricky. They’re almost like hitting a bullseye twice in a row.

EVELYN: Surely an excellent marksman could do that. Are you saying you’re not an excellent pilot? [chuckles] Oh, don’t look like that, I’m only teasing.

DOCTOR: Fine. Here we go, then. I’m resetting the co-ordinates for Roosevelt Airfield, Long Island, New York. Charles Lindbergh departs on May 20th, 1927, in the morning. I’m going to give us a few hours leeway and aim for the evening of May 19th.

EVELYN: Very sensible.

DOCTOR: Yes, thank you, Professor Smythe.

[The TARDIS dematerialises.]

DOCTOR: By the way, who were you talking to while I was looking round the airfield? Did you know that couple?

EVELYN: No, I just thought their little one was adorable so I had a brief chat with them. Their son was only four days old. They let me carry him for a few minutes. He was absolutely delightful.

DOCTOR: Mm, that’s nice.

EVELYN: His father works at the airfield.

DOCTOR: Ah.

[The TARDIS materialises.]

EVELYN: Did we hit the bullseye?

DOCTOR: Oh, no. No, no, no.

EVELYN: What is it? What’s the matter?

DOCTOR: Well, we are in New York, but we travelled too far forward in time. This is 1951. We’re also a bit off to the west. This is Manhattan, not Long Island. Not that that matters at all, since the year is incorrect. We may as well have landed on the other side of the planet!

EVELYN: Er, Doctor, we don’t really need to hurry to see Lindbergh. Especially not if it would be stressful. Didn’t you say we ought to go somewhere that isn’t exhausting? We can simply try Lindbergh again later. In the meantime, we can explore outside, if you’d like. Or we can choose a different destination altogether.

DOCTOR: Hmm? Yes, yes, but… there is something odd about this place.

EVELYN: What do you mean?

DOCTOR: These readings. They’re inconsistent with mid-20th century Earth.

EVELYN: So we’re going to explore outside?

DOCTOR: I think we’d better.

 

EVELYN: Did we arrive after midnight? The place is deserted. I thought this was supposed to be the city that never sleeps.

DOCTOR: This is strange indeed. It’s only eight o'clock. There should be people about.

EVELYN: Oh, there are a couple over there.

DOCTOR: That’s hardly enough for downtown Manhattan at this time of night.

EVELYN: Do you notice how they keep looking round themselves? It’s as if they’re afraid someone will jump out of an alley and attack them. Maybe most people are indoors because the streets are unsafe.

DOCTOR: If I remember correctly, this is a period of relatively low crime rates in the city’s history. The murder rate doesn’t rise until the 1970s, then thankfully it falls again in the 1990s. We ought to ask these people why they’re scared and where everyone else is.

EVELYN: You may be getting your chance. They’re approaching us.

SATURNA: You two are not from around here.

DOCTOR: That is correct. I am the Doctor, this is Evelyn, and you are?

SATURNA: You’re a doctor?

EVELYN: It’s just what he’s called. I don’t think he has an actual medical degree.

DOCTOR: Excuse me, Evelyn. I--

SATURNA: I’ve never met anyone who still carried the title of doctor. Doctors haven’t been necessary since--

FIERRO: Saturna. It’s the Doctor.

SATURNA: Huh?

FIERRO: The Doctor. I remember the physical description. Curly blond hair, azure coat. It matches one of the physical profiles.

SATURNA: You’re right!

EVELYN: You know who he is?

SATURNA: Yes, we know who the Doctor is. He is the reason the Cybermen were able to travel back in time to 1927 Earth and spread their virus.

DOCTOR: Virus?

SATURNA: He’s the reason there are so few humans left and that we’re all like this.

[sound of a small mechanical hatch opening]

EVELYN: You have a prosthetic arm.

SATURNA: Not just my arm. Almost all of me is machine.

EVELYN: Like Dr. Goddard.

FIERRO: You know Goddard?

SATURNA: "Doctor" Goddard?

FIERRO: Of course! You’ve already been to the nexus point in 3286, haven’t you? That’s when you helped the Cybermen, and that’s where you’ll meet Goddard. He hasn’t left here yet. Time travel is confusing.

SATURNA: That means… the mission will fail.

DOCTOR: That’s just it; the mission didn’t fail. This makes no sense. The Cybermen were wiped out by a temporal energy wave before they even got a chance to go back in time and unleash their virus. I don’t understand how Evelyn and I ended up in this timeline. It should have become divergent. It should have vanished.

FIERRO: I guess we don’t need to send Goddard to the future, then.

DOCTOR: Oh, but you do. His mission is already a part of the Web of Time. You can’t change that. If you don’t send him to 3286, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now, and that would just open a whole other can of worms. No, no, you must still send Goddard to the nexus point. But he can’t know that Evelyn and I are here right now. He has to meet us for the first time there, in his future.

SATURNA: I don’t know if I believe you.

[mechanical whirring]

EVELYN: What is that tube rising up out of your arm?

SATURNA: A laser weapon.

DOCTOR: Of course it is. Look, we can figure this out together. The Web of Time needs sorting. Now, this is rather unusual for me, but I’m willing to help your lot of Cybermen--

FIERRO: We are human, Doctor. It just so happens that we have cybernetic parts. What’s important is that we have real, human brains. Hybrids like us, we’re not part of the Cyber race hive mind. And I’m damn proud of that.

DOCTOR: Yes, of course. I just meant--

SATURNA: If you want to help, then you’ll come with us. You’re gonna tell us everything you know about the nexus point and the Cybermen.

FIERRO: Watch out, two metalheads coming out of Cyber Control.

DOCTOR: That building is Cyber Control?

SATURNA: Obviously. Looks like your rescue party, Doc. I suppose they wanna take you back to Control. Tell you what, we’ll let you go for now. But you’ll see us again. We’re coming for your intel. Come on, Fierro, let’s finish our patrol then head back to base.

DOCTOR: I am not on their side!

FIERRO: Why are they coming this way, then? They can’t see or hear us. We have Cyber frequency scramblers. So they must be coming for you.

DOCTOR: That’s exactly what I’m worried about.

CYBERMAN 1: This planet is under our control. You belong to us. You will be like us.

CYBERMAN 2: One organic being detected. And one techno-organic hybrid in incubation.

DOCTOR: I beg your pardon?

CYBERMAN 2: Techno-organic hybrid to be processed at Cyber Control.

EVELYN: Do you mean me?

CYBERMAN 2: Yes. You are carrying the Cyber conversion virus. You will become a Cyberman in ten minutes.

EVELYN: Doctor!

DOCTOR: Oh, no, Evelyn.

CYBERMAN 1: Organic being identified as the Doctor. Executing.

DOCTOR: No, wait!


	2. Part 8

CYBERMAN 2: You are carrying the Cyber conversion virus. You will become a Cyberman in ten minutes.

EVELYN: Doctor!

DOCTOR: Oh, no, Evelyn.

CYBERMAN 1: Organic being identified as the Doctor. Executing.

DOCTOR: No, wait!

CYBERMAN 1: … standing order to capture on sight.

DOCTOR: Oh.

CYBERMAN 2: You will come with us.

EVELYN: Ow! Well, you’re not really giving me a choice, are you?

CYBERMAN 1: Move.

DOCTOR: All right, all right.

[sound of footsteps in the background]

CYBERMAN 1: The Doctor is incompatible with Cyber technology. Your knowledge will be acquired. Then you will be discarded.

FIERRO: Huh. Not something an ally would say.

SATURNA: Hmm. Should we follow them into Control?

FIERRO: Let’s.

SATURNA: Okay, Doctor, Evelyn, we’re gonna keep an eye on you. We should be fine unless the metalheads bring you into high-security areas with more advanced sensors. By the way, don’t respond to us so the metalheads don’t get suspicious.

EVELYN: Doctor, they said…

DOCTOR: I know, Evelyn. I promise we’ll sort this out.

CYBERMAN 2: Unlocking entrance. The techno-organic hybrid will proceed this way for processing.

CYBERMAN 1: The Doctor will proceed this way for mental extraction.

DOCTOR: Hold on, Evelyn.

EVELYN: I’ll try.

FIERRO: I’ll stay with Evelyn. You follow the Doctor.

SATURNA: Okay.

CYBERMAN 1: Trooper reporting to Controller. The Doctor has been captured. Proceeding to mental extraction chamber.

CONTROLLER: No, bring him to me first.

CYBERMAN 1: Yes, Controller. This way, Doctor.

DOCTOR: All right, I’ll talk to that Controller of yours.

[sound of footsteps]

SATURNA: Your friend… she’s going to become like us… I’m sorry.

[sound of footsteps]

 

FIERRO: Don’t worry, Evelyn. Even though it’s a painful process, it doesn’t last too long. And at the end of it, you’ll still have your brain. All your own thoughts and memories. If you ask me, I’d choose that over turning into a metalhead any day.

[Evelyn cries out in pain.]

FIERRO: It’s starting.

EVELYN: It’s cold! Cold on my back and spreading everywhere.

CYBERMAN 2: Your conversion is in progress. Continue walking.

EVELYN: Ughhh, I can hardly stand straight.

FIERRO: Right now, the virus is in your spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. It’s transforming your entire network of nerves, because your brain will be sending signals to machines, not muscles any more.

[Evelyn cries out.]

CYBERMAN 2: Proceed!

 

[muffled human screams]

DOCTOR: What are these rooms we’re passing? I can see into some windows. You have people strapped down onto metal slabs. What are you doing to them?

CYBERMAN 1: You are not entitled to that information.

SATURNA: Why are they all here? I thought there were just a few of us left here on Earth. I thought the metalheads had sent everyone else off-world.

CYBERMAN 1: Enter this chamber. The Cyber Controller is waiting.

DOCTOR: I’m going to find out what you’re doing to those people.

CYBERMAN 1: Your potential discovery of our operations is irrelevant. You will be discarded shortly. Step inside. Now.

SATURNA: Doctor, my scrambler won’t work on this doorway’s sensors. I’m gonna stay out here. If they don’t close the door, I’ll still be able to hear you.

 

[Evelyn groans.]

FIERRO: Hang on, Evelyn.

CYBERMAN 2: Enter this chamber. Stand in that pod.

EVELYN: What is the pod for?

CYBERMAN 2: You will be evaluated. Stand in the pod.

FIERRO: It’s alright, they’re just going to scan you and add your biodata to their records. They keep track of everyone converted by the virus. They’ll let you go afterwards.

CYBERMAN 2: Securing latches. Activating pod number J-497.

[metal footsteps retreating]

FIERRO: It’s gone. I don’t see any cameras or recorders in here, so we can talk now.

EVELYN: Your name is Fierro?

FIERRO: Yup, Rob Fierro.

EVELYN: Evelyn Smythe. I think I can guess the answer, but is there… [groans] Is there a cure for this?

FIERRO: We have some people working on a formula to reverse the effects of the virus, but they haven’t perfected it yet.

 

CONTROLLER: You are the Doctor.

DOCTOR: Well done.

CONTROLLER: Your knowledge is required.

DOCTOR: You mean you need my help with something?

CONTROLLER: You have fought us before, Doctor. But you have also assisted the Cyber race.

DOCTOR: Why does everyone keep saying that?

CONTROLLER: If you refuse to provide assistance, then we will simply extract the information from your brain.

DOCTOR: Tell me what you’re doing to those people in your laboratories.

CONTROLLER: You are not entitled to that information.

DOCTOR: If you want me to help you, then you’ll answer the question.

CONTROLLER: That is illogical. We can simply extract--

DOCTOR: Yes, yes, you can extract the contents of my brain. But Time Lord minds have safeguards. The information in our brains is encrypted. I’m willing to bet that you don’t have the technology to decode it. So answer the question.

CONTROLLER: The techno-organic hybrids are being decommissioned.

DOCTOR: You’re slaughtering them all?!

CONTROLLER: Some remain useful in hybrid form. But eventually, they will all be eradicated.

SATURNA: No!

DOCTOR: Useful? You mean the ones that you’re sending off-world?

CONTROLLER: No. That invasion protocol has been discontinued.

DOCTOR: So… you used to send the hybrids off-world as an invasion force. They would spread your conversion virus to other humans by mere touch.

CONTROLLER: Correct. But the hybrids are inferior. They are not always logical.

DOCTOR: So how do some of them remain useful?

CONTROLLER: You shall see. Cyber Leader, escort the Doctor to the chronosphere station. Assemble the chronosphere unit. Then await my instructions.

LEADER: Yes, Controller.

 

EVELYN: What will happen to me next?

FIERRO: You’ll feel the virus in your bloodstream. It will bind the carbon in your body with the iron in your blood, to form steel. The science is beyond me, but the way I understand it, the metal will rapidly duplicate itself, like a kind of cancer. Soon, the metal will take over. The virus will transform your organs into various metal parts, and it all happens on an atomic level. You’ll know when the conversion is almost over, because the pain will recede.

EVELYN: Oh, I can feel it, it’s so cold… and unyielding. And it hurts! I can’t decide if I want the process to… [screams] slow down until the Doctor can get here, or speed up so I won’t have to feel it any longer!

 

LEADER: This is the chronosphere station. Enter.

SATURNA: The doorway sensors are off. I can go in with you.

LEADER: You will remain in this room. The chronosphere unit will be here presently. Do not attempt to escape. Activating alarm system. Securing exit.

[metal footsteps retreating]

DOCTOR: The sensors are on now, so neither of us can leave this room.

SATURNA: Doctor, they’re killing us. It was bad enough that they were using us as an army, but now they’re killing us directly!

DOCTOR: Is Goddard safe? Do you know where he is? You need to send him to the nexus point immediately, before they do him any harm.

SATURNA: But he’s supposed to bring a retrovirus with him, and it’s not ready.

DOCTOR: I can try to help you with that. I need that retrovirus for Evelyn too. But first, we must get out of this room. Hmm, yes, I can reprogram this type of security system, but it will take a few minutes. Where is the retrovirus being concocted?

SATURNA: In the basement. It’s easier to sneak Cyber technology down a few storeys than to drag equipment out of Cyber Control altogether.

DOCTOR: How very brave.

SATURNA: Are you kidding? We’re permanently on edge. Hundreds of us have been caught and killed. But we keep coming back. That’s why our base is nearby. We’ve had to adjust our frequency scramblers many times to keep up with their sensors. We’ve been using Cyber technology for our own purpose. We’ve hacked their data banks. That’s how we know that the best place to strike is at the nexus point. But… apparently we will fail.

DOCTOR: You mustn’t tell anyone about that. Your mission must proceed as planned. We’ll simply have to find a way to stop the Cybermen here, now.

SATURNA: What happens to Goddard?

DOCTOR: I can’t tell you. It’s in your future. I’ve already said too much.

SATURNA: I thought so. You said your mind has safeguards. Does your body have safeguards, too? Is that why Evelyn was infected by the virus and you weren’t?

DOCTOR: Yes, I suspect so. Time Lords have several layers of mental and physical defences in place.

 

[Evelyn screams.]

FIERRO: It’s been about ten minutes. You must be in the last few stages.

[Evelyn’s screams lose volume until she’s gone completely quiet.]

FIERRO: How do you feel?

EVELYN (mechanical-sounding voice): I feel nothing.

FIERRO: Good.


	3. Part 9

DOCTOR: I’ve nearly disabled all the sensors and alarms. Just a few more commands [presses buttons and keys on keypad] and a spot of rewiring [sound of live wires crackling]. There! Now listen, I’m heading straight for the basement. You go and find Goddard. He should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

SATURNA: Okay, I’ll bring him here. He’s going to take one of the chronospheres to the nexus point. Doctor, what about the Controller and the Cyber Leader?

DOCTOR: They want me to take a look at one of their chronospheres. I’ll deal with it later. Right now, the retrovirus is more important.

 

EVELYN: I can’t feel my body. I can control it, but I don’t feel it the same way I used to.

FIERRO: Many of your sensory receptors have been deactivated -- taste and odour receptors, tactile receptors… If your cybernetic parts overheat, you won’t feel it the way an organic human feels a fever. Your temperature regulation system will just alert you of the anomaly. It takes some getting used to.

EVELYN: Why does my voice sound like theirs?

FIERRO: It needs adjustment. They’ll do it for you. Or if they don’t, we can.

EVELYN: Could you remove my eyeglasses, please? They’re attached to a cord around my neck. Just let them hang. Thank you. Wow, everything looks so vivid and sharp. I can identify 59 shades of 8 basic colours in this room.

FIERRO: The metalhead is on its way back.

EVELYN: I hear it.

[metal footsteps approaching]

CYBERMAN 2: Your conversion is complete. Running diagnostic. Cybernetic components: fully functional. Connection to brain: stable. Organic exterior: seamless. Speak now for vocal analysis.

EVELYN: Er, the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

CYBERMAN 2: Modulating voice. Speak again.

EVELYN (human-sounding voice): The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

CYBERMAN 2: Modulation complete. Physical diagnostic complete. Beginning mental diagnostic.

 

LEADER: The Doctor has escaped. Guard the chronosphere unit.

CYBERMAN 3: Guarding.

LEADER: All other Cyber patrols, search the premises for the Doctor.

 

DOCTOR: Basement. Here we go.

HOYER: Hey, who are you? I’ve never seen you before. What are you doing down here?

DOCTOR: I’m here to help you with the retrovirus. I was with Saturna just now. She’s gone to fetch Goddard. He needs to travel to the nexus point immediately.

HOYER: Whoa, slow down. Come on, the lab’s over here.

DOCTOR: How many people do you have working on the retrovirus?

HOYER: Two. Former science professors.

DOCTOR: Are you one of them?

HOYER: Nah, I’m a technician. I know my way around Cyber technology.

DOCTOR: You help with downloading data and moving equipment.

HOYER: Exactly. The lab’s the next door to your right.

DOCTOR: Thank you. Ah, those must be the professors.

GOLDSTEIN: Who are you? Hoyer, who is this?

HOYER: He says he’s here to help with the retrovirus. He knows Saturna.

DOCTOR: We need the retrovirus to be ready as soon as possible. Goddard must be sent to the nexus point immediately.

CORDOVA: Why?

DOCTOR: Because the metal Cybermen plan to wipe out all techno-organic hybrids.

 

CYBERMAN 2: Mental diagnostic complete.

EVELYN: Can I go, then?

CYBERMAN 2: No.

EVELYN: Why not?

CYBERMAN 2: Processing not complete.

[metal footsteps retreating]

FIERRO: I don’t understand. They usually let hybrids go at this point.

 

CORDOVA: The Cybermen plan to wipe us out?

DOCTOR: Yes, and soon. So tell me, quickly, what progress have you made with the retrovirus?

GOLDSTEIN: Why don’t you tell us who you are first?

DOCTOR: I am the Doctor.

GOLDSTEIN: The time traveller who helped the Cybermen?

DOCTOR: I did not help them. I’ve been through this with Saturna and Fierro. It’s you that I’m helping. Now please, we don’t have much time. We need to formulate the retrovirus and send it to 3286.

GOLDSTEIN: I’m afraid none of our attempts have succeeded so far. I was a biology professor decades ago, and Cordova was a chemistry professor. Techno-organic viruses aren’t precisely within our fields of expertise.

DOCTOR: Show me your calculations and prototypes.

 

[Evelyn struggles against her bonds.]

EVELYN: I know that I’m stronger, but I can’t break free of these metal straps.

FIERRO: You do have the strength of ten organic humans now, but these pods are built to hold Cybermen.

EVELYN: Why would they be keeping me here?

FIERRO: I don’t know. And the read-out screens on your pod are blank now, but the machine is still running. They must be controlling it remotely. I wonder where from.

EVELYN: What usually happens after the diagnostic tests? They simply let hybrids go?

FIERRO: Yes. They can track your co-ordinates now. If they need to recruit you into the army for an invasion mission, they’ll just find you and round you up. But don’t worry, we have a way of disabling the locator chip. We can also delete your record from their database, so they’ll never look for you. But first, we need to get you released from that pod somehow.

 

DOCTOR: I believe I’ve fixed your equations. I’ll whip up a prototype based on my formula. Where are your prototypes and the original virus?

GOLDSTEIN: These two racks of test tubes here. They’re all labelled.

DOCTOR: Excellent.

GOLDSTEIN: Can we see that formula?

DOCTOR: Go ahead.

CORDOVA: You added molecular expansion into the Cyber conversion model. You theorise that the process involves part-duplication, part-expansion of cybernetic material. Then you worked backwards from that model.

GOLDSTEIN: You also removed most of the calculations related to leftover organic material. You replaced them with a single combustion algorithm. You think the extra tissue just gets burned up inside the body towards the end of the conversion process?

HOYER: Metalheads incoming!

GOLDSTEIN: Hiding all documents.

CORDOVA: Locking all samples in the safe.

DOCTOR: How many, Hoyer?

HOYER: Two.

DOCTOR: I don’t have a Cyber frequency scrambler, so I won’t be able to get close enough to them. Can one of you test this sample on them?

GOLDSTEIN: I’ll do it.

DOCTOR: Thank you. I’ll split the sample into four vials. Here, take two. Aim for the respirators.

GOLDSTEIN: Understood. You should hide behind that counter.

[metal footsteps approach, then the Cybermen shriek]

GOLDSTEIN: It didn’t work.

DOCTOR: Let me see.

CORDOVA: They’re dead. Your formula didn’t make them human again.

DOCTOR: The formula wasn’t meant for Cybermen like these. It would only work on your kind.

HOYER: How does this test help us then?

DOCTOR: Help me unzip their suits. Check for signs of metal disintegration and organic regrowth. Yes, there. The cybernetic material in this one’s lower torso has been reconstituted into human organs. And this one’s arms, shoulders and neck have completely reverted to their organic human form. That’s the best we could have expected. Don’t worry, I’ve seen the retrovirus in action. Granted, it was vaporised into a time portal, but it did change a particular Cyberman’s metal hand into a human hand. I hope that’s the retrovirus that I’ve created here. Hoyer, come with me. We’re taking this to Saturna and Goddard. Professors, could you make more samples based on this formula?

CORDOVA: Of course.

 

DOCTOR: We’re making a detour first. Where do they process newly converted hybrids?

HOYER: In the north wing, next to the restricted zone. Why?

DOCTOR: My friend is there. We shan’t be long, I just need to give her a vial of this retrovirus.

HOYER: Okay, but we should hurry. The metalheads will notice when two of their patrols stop reporting.

DOCTOR: Let’s take the stairs. They’ll spot us faster if we try the lifts. … Do you have records of the Cybermen attack in 1927?

HOYER: Well, yeah, they spread the virus and then--

DOCTOR: No, I mean, are there accounts of metal Cybermen arriving here in their chronospheres, then marching across the planet and forcing their virus onto humans?

HOYER: No, it didn’t happen that way. You really didn’t help them, did you?

DOCTOR: At the very least, I absolutely didn’t intend to help them. I want to know why everyone seems to think I gave the Cybermen time-travelling capabilities.

HOYER: Well, patient zero contracted the virus somewhere on Long Island on March 20, 1927. We don’t know who patient zero was. For about a decade after that, only a few thousand hybrids lived on this planet. Factions formed. People wanted different things.

DOCTOR: Such as?

HOYER: Intergalactic travel. Some factions wanted to explore or invade other worlds. One faction decided to collate all the information that its supporters could remember from 1927. Turns out that some people had acquired bits and pieces of a sort of race memory -- Cyber race memory from the future. It was like the virus not only caused conversion, there was also data transfer, but the transfer process was corrupted. Chunks of data were missing. And besides, we’re human, so we can forget things and doubt our memories. But when the faction put all the pieces together, they learned a lot about you. They knew you were a time traveller and that you were with the Cybermen in 3286. They knew that 3286 was a nexus point that led directly to the 1927 attack. They also knew how to convert humans into Cybermen in the traditional way, by replacing brains with computers. 

DOCTOR: And that faction constitutes Cyber Control now?

HOYER: No, the faction is all gone. Killed and replaced by the off-worlders that they invaded and converted into metalheads. Anyway, we’re here. These two rooms are the processing chambers.

DOCTOR: Evelyn! There you are. Have you been… converted?

EVELYN: Yes, Doctor.

DOCTOR: I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, but I have the retrovirus. Here, drink this.

 

LEADER: Two Cyber patrols have failed to report on schedule. They are missing.

CONTROLLER: Find them. And find the Doctor!

LEADER: Yes, Controller.

 

DOCTOR: How do you feel?

EVELYN: Uh, a bit lightheaded.

DOCTOR: The retrovirus will be reconstituting your organs for the next twenty minutes. Hoyer, can you activate this pod’s lock release mechanism?

HOYER: Sure can. Give me fiiiiive seconds… There.

DOCTOR: Thank you. Come on, Evelyn, place your arm round my shoulders. We need to get somewhere safe and hidden. Fierro?

FIERRO: Yeah?

DOCTOR: I need you and Hoyer to bring this vial to Saturna and Goddard at the chronosphere station. Goddard can’t see me and Evelyn.

FIERRO: Right. Is there more of this?

DOCTOR: The professors are making more.

FIERRO: Okay. Let's go, Hoyer.

 

DOCTOR: This way seems quiet. I don’t see any Cybermen here.

CYBERMAN 4 (in the distance): Warning. This is a restricted zone. It is off limits to see the clones. Warning.

DOCTOR: In here, quick. Whew, the Cyberman didn’t see us.

EVELYN: [gasps] Doctor, look. This room is full of clones… of me.


End file.
